


Incomplete (import from ff.net)

by moor



Category: Naruto
Genre: Drama, F/M, Family, Love Triangle, NSFW, Non-Massacre AU, PWP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2019-09-28 01:03:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17172893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moor/pseuds/moor
Summary: KakaSaku. ItaSaku. Naruto-verse, non-massacre. Tentatively they circled each other, seeking a balance that was near perfect until the Uchiha clan enacted an age-old decree; that Konoha provide them with that which they needed in order to continue the Clan. Rated 'M'.





	1. Chapter 1

Title:  **Incomplete**  
Category: Anime/Manga » Naruto  
Author: moor  
Language: English, Rating: Rated: M  
Genre: Romance/Drama  
Published: 09-06-15, Updated: 09-06-15  
Chapters: 1, Words: 6,116

* * *

**Chapter 1: Chapter 1**

* * *

**AN: This is written purely for fun and I make no profit from it.**

* * *

Sakura's breath, voice, air, thoughts caught and tangled into a lump in her throat, choking her.

_What had happened?_

_What was…_

She turned away from the river, shaking her head under the blazing summer sun, her brow furrowing.  _The… what was that?_

Instinctive by now, her hands were already glowing as she touched just above her heart, then her head, her confusion mounting.

"Hn."

Swallowing, perplexed at what she found—increased heart rate, flush, rapid breathing, unusual hormone production, no sign of injury or genjutsu—Sakura looked up at Sasuke's level eyes.

"Something felt a little funny. Just checking," she explained, straightening her shoulders.

"Injury?"

"I don't think so," she said, shaking her head.

He nodded once, lifting his katana again. "Ready?"

"Yes."

They resumed their spar. Behind them, skimming across the coursing surface of the Naka River, a shirtless Naruto and a dripping Kakashi continued their own training; on the river's rocky edge, Kakashi's shirt lay in a sopping heap just behind Sakura where it had landed a moment before.

* * *

At their usual counter stools, hunched over steaming bowls of ramen, Sakura felt Sasuke tap her stool with his foot.

"What happened?" he asked, stirring the broth with his chopsticks to blend its aromatic flavours.

"When?"

He gave her a look. "This afternoon."

It took her a moment to remember. She shrugged. "Not sure. It was weird."

On Sakura's other side, Naruto leaned over, bracing his elbows on the "What happened to Sakura-chan?"

"Nothing. I think things were just too hot for me earlier," she explained, smiling at Naruto. "I should have joined you on the river." Her expression turned rueful. "Well, maybe in the water."

"The temperature's supposed to stay above average this week," said Kakashi, just as half his noodles disappeared behind his mask. After his dip beneath the cool river water that afternoon, his poor hair stuck up more strangely than ever. For a second, it fascinated Sakura.

And then it happened again; her heart began a rapid descent into madness, her hearing narrowed, her skin flushed as she found her throat no longer permitted her to breathe normally, and what was—

"—kura-chan? Sakura?"

"Hmm?" She twisted to look at Naruto, tongue-tied.

He looked at her askance. "You okay?"

"Yes. I think so. Just the heat," she said, smiling and wondering if she needed more tea. "I'm going to crank the AC a bit higher when I get home."

"That's detrimental to your muscles," said Sasuke, before he sipped from his spoon.

"Thank you, Doctor Uchiha," said Naruto. "Next, will you be offering advice on—"

"Don't finish that," said Sakura, voice hard. "I know where it's going."

"Aw, but—"

"No." She cut her eyes at Naruto and narrowed them in warning.

"Listen to her, Naruto. I'd like to eat my meal in peace," said Kakashi. He had less than a quarter-bowl left.

Sulking for a moment on his stool, Naruto saw Sasuke watching Sakura.

"You're okay, though, right?" Naruto asked her, his chopsticks paused in mid-air.

"Yes. I'll take a dip in the water tomorrow like you two and I'll be just fine," she said, relaxing again.

"Okay. How about we all bring our suits and take an ice cream break around—"

Sasuke glowered at him. "Training is not about splashing around in the water and filling your stomach with garbage."

Familiar squabbling surrounded Sakura once more, and she enjoyed the rest of her evening. And cranked the AC until it hummed like a lawnmower engine that night. Such a strange day. Maybe she'd take an extra iron pill in the morning.

* * *

Itachi sighed under his breath as he nodded to his father in respect and left his parents' kitchen. Another scorching day beat down on him, even in the early morning, as he gradually caught up to his brother.

He looked across Sasuke, noting his relaxed training attire of clan shirt, wraps, and light trousers. "No mission today?"

"Cancelled." Sasuke's eyes flicked to his. "Again."

Itachi understood; there was no need to explain. They continued walking.

"Train well," said Itachi, as they parted at the gates to the Uchiha District. He noted one of Sasuke's teammates, Sakura, waiting outside the gates for his brother. He turned away.

"Hn," replied Sasuke, nodding to Itachi before joining Sakura.

Itachi watched them with interest from the corner of his eye before he continued on his way to ANBU headquarters.

* * *

"Everything okay?" she asked as they reached the training ground by the river.

"Hn."

She eyed him, arching a brow.

"Clan stuff," he admitted reluctantly. "That's all."

She nodded, turning back to the water. "Swim first?"

"We're here to train."

"Fine, I'll swim by myself. Call me when Naruto and Kakashi arrive," she said, shrugging off her shirt and shorts and heading for the promise of the cool water.

She felt him stiffen beside her at her casual disrobing, and almost laughed when he relaxed upon sight of her swim suit. She quite liked her black boyshort tankini; it was cute. She grinned when she heard him sigh.

With some doubt, he asked. "Did you bring a towel?"

Already wading in, she called back to him. "I packed a few. They're in a storage scroll in my bag." She looked over her shoulder and splashed at him. "Come on in, the water's great!"

He grumbled under his breath but joined her within a moment, also in his own navy swim trunks.

Her heart warmed as she made her way deeper, Sasuke just beside her. "I knew you'd wear them."

"Hn," he grumbled, but she caught the slight upturn of the corner of his lips before he could hide it.

"Relax for five minutes. Enjoy yourself, even if it pains you, Sasuke," she said, swimming out further when her feet no longer touched the bottom.

He made a disgusted noise in his throat, which made Sakura laugh, but continued swimming, even flipping over to float on his back for a few minutes.

"Is anything wrong?"

"Hn?"

"The clan stuff. Is anything wrong? Can we help with anything?"

Sasuke sighed. "No." He frowned a moment, and Sakura felt a trip of guilt that she'd interrupted his peaceful moment with her question. "Itachi is handling it."

Surprised he'd admitted as much, Sakura swam closer and treaded water, before floating on her back, too.

"Let me know if there's anything I can do to help," she said quietly, and gave him a grin as she shrugged in the water. "I won't step in anything to interfere, but I could wiggle some negotiation room with Tsunade-Shishou, if you or he need it, okay?"

It was a moment before she heard his relaxed exhale. "Ah."

"Anytime," she said, understanding his gratitude through his tone.

"Anytime what? Are you offering personal favours to your teammates, Sakura?" A gray-haired head popped up beside hers in the water from below, taking her off-guard. "Why was your poor old sensei not invited? That's age discrimination."

"Kak-gahck!" Arms flailing, Sakura overbalanced and sank into the water, choking. It took her longer than she'd have liked to admit to regain her senses and slap at her sensei for startling her. "Would you stop eavesdropping and taking things the wrong way!"

"Is there a right way to take it?" he asked.

"Who's taking what all the way? Oh, and… Cannonball!" burst in Naruto, dive-bombing into the water. After thoroughly splashing everyone, he popped up again spitting a fountain and laughing. "I want in!"

Sakura rolled her eyes and glared balefully at her former sensei.

"He followed me," said Kakashi innocently, and Sakura just sighed and climbed to the surface using her chakra to form foot-ledges in the water. To her surprise, Kakashi followed her lead, and she noticed that he, too, was wearing swimwear.

 _And damnit all to…_ Sakura's legs wobbled and she lost her footing, her balance abandoning her as well as her breath.

"This is getting to be a bad habit," said Kakashi, catching her. His tone was playful, though his lone visible eye was watching her carefully.

"Believe me, I know," grumbled Sakura. She lifted her arms, and, after a half-second's hesitation, pushed herself upright, her hands bracing against Kakashi's firm, defined chest… and  _hello, abdomen. No, eyes up here, eyes up here. Chest only. Phew._

Her face alternately paling and flushing, Sakura swallowed and looked away.

"I'm just… going to go sit for a minute."  _Possibly dig a shallow grave and die in it_ , she mentally added.

"If you think so," was all Kakashi said, though it took a moment for the words to reach her ears. She waved him off.

Sasuke looked between the two, his eyes narrowing.

"Spar?" he asked Kakashi.

Shrugging, Kakashi nodded. "Sounds good. Rules?"

Sasuke smirked, and Kakashi chuckled. Right. Like 'rules' really applied to them, outside of, "Don't burn it down entirely", and Sakura's favourite, "Don't burn it off the whole way."

* * *

Kakashi lay back on the field on the far side of Konoha, his nin-dogs gamboling about through the treeline and obstacles they raced past.

He considered Sakura's strange behaviour the last several days. While his pups dodged and leapt and wrestled with each other, he mulled over the symptoms and peculiarities of Sakura's recent days before chastising himself and his fanciful leanings with a sigh and returning to mind his pups.

But…

No.

With another small sigh he closed his eyes.

* * *

This wasn't supposed to be happening right now.

"Uh huh, sure you are."

The woman's voice was smug.

"I really don't have time for this, Ino," sighed Sakura.

"You need to take a step away from your boys, and a step into the wonderful world of being a woman, Sakura. I know you love them, but they need to learn to function socially without you. And vice versa."

"But I keep getting called to the hospital to put them back together again, whenever I let them out of my sight," moaned Sakura.

"Stop mothering them and they'll stop seeking your attention! Better yet, get out and date a bit and maybe they'll learn how to behave and respect your autonomy a bit more. Unless you're planning on settling down with a member of your team, you need to get out a bit more, Sakura. I'm not just saying this as a friend, I'm saying it because it is true. I don't want you to settle for someone. I want you to be happy. Chouji and I are on our way with number two, and you're... " She sighed.

He heard Sakura sigh in turn, and his brow furrowed. They weren't that bad, were they? They'd tried to back off a bit. It wasn't their fault the rest of the shinobi in Konoha were… lesser, than they were… lesser and therefore not meeting their expectations and standards in order to be good enough for her attention. But… were they the ones holding her back, now?

"They're trying. On missions, they're so much better. It's… day-to-day stuff that challenges them," muttered Sakura. He had to strain to hear her.

"Really." There was a telling note to Ino's voice that set his nerves on edge.

"Honestly. Even with my other work—..."

"Understood; the work you can't talk about—"

"Others give me my space and I am respected. It's… the separation of team-work and team-personal life that… we're all sometimes bad at keeping apart."

"I don't remember the last time you followed Naruto, Sasuke, Sai or Kakashi around on one of their dates, tricked said date into leaving with them via sexy-no-jutsu, and then interrogated their dates on their sexual and mission history. In the bowels of the Torture and Interrogation department."

Sakura sighed. "At least I tracked them down and unhooked the battery cables before they got a little too carried away. Idiots," she said, a combination of frustration and fondness in her tone.

"So. This brings us back to my point, and this lovely folder I brought with me—"

"I can't believe you signed me up on a dating site without my permission, Pig. Aren't there laws against this?"

"There would be if we weren't ninja and therefore above the law."

"I'm guessing there's a method to your madness?"

"You should be grateful to me for vetting and background checking these for you already," sang Ino. "And yes. So, I took your preferences and required qualities for a suitable mate, cross-referenced them against those who could provide you with a challenge, and weeded out anyone who couldn't provide for you financially, and then ranked them by hotness in uniform."

There was a shuffling of papers, and then soft murmuring.

"These aren't their uniforms," breathed Sakura appreciatively.

"A well-fitted suit  _is_  a man's uniform," purred Ino.

Another pause.

"Close your mouth, Sakura. Drooling is unattractive."

On his branch in the tree outside Sakura's home, Kakashi watched the light flush on Sakura's cheeks as she paused on one of the portfolios. And bit her lip.

* * *

Itachi looked up at his brother as he stood in front of a pair of elders. To Itachi's surprise, they were outside the clan compound, near the village restaurant district, and it seemed the elders had stopped Sasuke from entering the restaurant. Itachi noted several of Sasuke's former colleagues inside, one with a baby in his arms. Everyone inside looked to be relaxed, happy, and celebrating going by the open bottles of wine, the balloons, the gift-wrapped presents piled on a nearby table.

Immediately Itachi's gaze sharpened, and he felt the push against his eyes from the inside, and he stifled the Sharingan's response to his heightened emotion.

No one pushed his brother into a corner.

Certainly not the overly entitled elders from their clan.

Without a word Itachi approached and stood at Sasuke's side, glaring down at the elders.

He waited until their gaze shifted to him before he tapped Sasuke's shoulder, nodding towards the restaurant. "Go," he said.

"We were in the middle of a conversation," snapped one heavily lined old woman.

"Clan affairs take place on clan time and territory," said Itachi, his gaze never leaving the meddling group.

At his side, Sasuke shifted and glanced up at him before nodding. Now that he was closer, he could see the small gift Sasuke held in front of him. Wrapped in playful animal-printed gift paper and a bright yellow bow.

The door of the restaurant opened, and Itachi heard a somewhat familiar voice call out, "Sasuke! There you are, we've been waiting for you. Oh good! You remembered it." The pink-haired woman, Sakura, Itachi recalled, smiled so genuinely at Sasuke that it transformed into a beautiful, beguiling creature that caught Itachi's breath in his throat. This was the bond his brother had with his team. Genuine. Caring. Supportive. Real.

His brother's neck and back relaxed, and he nodded at Itachi. "Hn."  _Thank you_ , it implied.

Sasuke joined Sakura and together they joined the party assembled to celebrate the birth of their friend's child. The Yamanaka, he recognized from their blond hair.

There came the sound of mumbling and criticism, analysis and disdain from the manipulative, unfortunately non-senile group before him, and Itachi swallowed his sigh.

"... Hokage's apprentice…"

"... shame, not an Uchiha…"

"... unpredictable, uncouth…"

"... but incredible chakra control and promise…"

"... influence?..."

"... fresh bloodline, though…"

"... but for which one?..."

"I will see you back to the compound," commanded Itachi, his voice soft and even and territorial.

It was a slow trip back to their homes, and it would have made Itachi late to his appointment had he not sent his summon ahead of him to locate his host.

In a far corner of the village, away from prying eyes, Kakashi set down his book to glance at the familiar black raven. He nodded at it as it relayed its message before watching it hop and fly off.

* * *

Her green eyes fierce, Sakura ducked and swung her right hand around in a tearing backfist that went straight through the enemy nin who'd tried to sneak up on her from behind. Her other hand remained firmly planted on Kakashi's chest, glowing green as she reconnected his collarbone and various nearby sinew and muscle.

"I swear, if those two are one-upping each other again instead of finishing up, I am going to reroute their digestive systems manually," muttered Sakura, her eyes sweeping around her as she heard more rustling from the nearby bushes.

Kakashi gave her a patented eye-crease smile. "We can go check—"

"Shut up and heal, sensei."

His shoulders drooped, with a faint grunt of pain. "Hai, scary-Sakura-chan."

She glared at him, before scoffing under her breath. "Stubborn shinobi."

He pointed at himself. "You mean handsome. Handsome shinobi."

To his delight, a burst of crimson flushed her cheeks, leaving him chuckling as she pressed her lips together tightly, shooting more chakra into his system.

"Weird sensei," she muttered, and backhanded another not-so-intrepid nin who tried to take advantage of her diverted attention—or so he must have thought.

Kakashi winced at the crunching noise of the man's facial trauma, and cleared his throat. "Feeling much better," he assured Sakura. She ignored him.

* * *

After sparring practice, late one afternoon.

"This makes us even," muttered Sakura, arms crossed, as Kakashi lifted her across her threshold, into her apartment.

"Fine, fine," he murmured around a chuckle.

"I could have still walked. My chakra's done for the day, but I could have still walked," she insisted. And pouted.

His eyes creasing with fond adoration, Kakashi's chest rumbled with his muffled laugh.

"Your leg is broken in three places," he pointed out. "And your other ankle is sprained."

"Che." It was the same tone she used to harang Sasuke and Naruto when she called them 'babies' when she had to reset their bones.

"I'll tell the boys to come by and help you when they finish up with the Hokage."

" _... you did what to my apprentice?... what do you mean she'll be out of commission for a few days…? Uchiha, don't talk to the floor, look at me when I'm talking to you… "_

They heard Tsunade's voice booming out across the village as Sasuke and Naruto went to apologize for perhaps forgetting themselves during that morning's spar.

Sakura bit her lip as she tried to stifle her giggle.

Kakashi chuckled again, and gave Sakura a quick squeeze as he settled her down on her couch. Instinctively Sakura's arms shot up to clutch his shoulders, her eyes widening as they met his, her mouth falling open slightly in surprise. The moment held, his visible eye holding hers, his arms lingering around her as they breathed, too deeply, too shallowly, too much and yet not enough. Too slowly he straightened, his fingerless gloves a bit rough on her skin, his fingers trailing fire a bit too hot in their wake as he stepped back. Her breath caught in her throat.

"Do you need anything?"

Sakura tried to swallow, to clear her head, to understand.

"For groceries, or for medical supplies?" added Kakashi, his voice aiming for feigned nonchalance and yet still revealing an underlying note of tension that hadn't been there, when they'd spoken before. Or had it?

"I'll make a list and give it to the boys," she said. "If you wouldn't mind supervising them, when they go, that would help." So they didn't turn even shopping into a competition, and knowing Naruto, some kind of near-religiously-fervent ramen-supply mission.

"Hai, hai," he said, easy smile back in place beneath his mask.

"Thank you, Kakashi. Sensei." She tacked on the last word with a twinge of uncertainty.

"Anytime, Sakura...chan," he said, his eye flickering as he cleared his throat and turned to leave.

She watched him go, he felt her eyes, and they both swallowed as the door shut between them.

* * *

Late one evening, Sakura's place.

Naruto set down the bowls of piping hot ramen, Sasuke passed around bowls of freshly chopped and tossed salad, and together they helped Sakura over to the table.

"Make room," called Kakashi from the kitchen.

"What have you been doing in there so long?" asked Naruto, craning his neck around to see what Kakashi carried.

"Tempura!" cried Sakura, upon seeing the crispy mess of vegetables and seafood Kakashi had heaped into a large mixing bowl. She looked up at him, her smile so wide it lit up her entire demeanour. The last several days she'd been on bed-rest due to her healing injuries had been frustrating for her. "My favourite!"

"I know," he said, arranging all the dipping sauces around her. "This one is hot sauce, this one is mustard, this one is soy sauce, this one is hoisin, this one is oyster, this one is teriyaki, this one is sesame and garlic…"

Naruto pouted. "Eh? I thought you liked ramen, Sakura?"

Refusing to give in to the urge to shake his head, Sasuke bit the side of his tongue and went to put out the small fire Kakashi had forgotten to douse in the kitchen. He had a feeling that the reason there were so many sauces was because their former sensei wasn't as confident in his cooking abilities as he'd hoped to convey. He glanced at the happy glow around Sakura, and the way Kakashi hovered at her side, bringing closer any dish she requested. Then again, he had tried awfully hard.

* * *

A month later.

The morning heat had not abated, and with the loss of summer winds had in fact escalated into a humid mess, heavy and smothering throughout Konoha. The pair of men stood facing each other in the side street that led to Sakura's home.

"She's not home."

Kakashi looked at Sasuke curiously, his visible eye flickering between them.

"You're on your way to Sakura's. But she's not home," said Sasuke, his hands in his pockets.

The afternoon sun was hot overhead, and Kakashi tilted his head to find some shade. In his calloused grip he held a bag of iced drinks. At least half a dozen bottles and cans clinked together, their condensation clinging to the plastic of the bag, making it semi-transparent.

"She should be back in a few days," offered Sasuke after a few seconds of awkward silence between them.

"She left a note?"

Sasuke glanced around, taking a step closer to Kakashi. "I know of someone else who had to leave a note, and it said they should be back in a few days."

Kakashi's eyes rested on Sasuke's a moment longer before Sasuke saw the light come on in his sensei's eyes.  _Itachi._   _ANBU._  Sasuke nodded.

As the heat beat down on them, Kakashi seemed to come to a decision as he smiled down at Sasuke and continued on his way to Sakura's apartment.

"Sensei?"

"Ah?"

"... please don't start any more fires in Sakura's apartment…"

Kakashi chuckled and waved. "Of course not. I'm going to put these in her fridge. She'll probably be thirsty when she comes back."

Letting out his held breath with some relief, Sasuke watched Kakashi disappear around the corner, onto Sakura's street proper.

* * *

The next week, Sakura offered a small, if densely packed, bento to Sasuke as they sat atop of the Hokage monument. She had invited him up while Naruto was holed up in Tsunade's office.

"What's this for?"

"Thanks for watching my apartment for me. Oh, here's a thank-you note for your mom, too."

Brow furrowed, Sasuke did not immediately accept the card.

"My mother?"

"Yeah. She made me all those frozen meals, right? My freezer's full. It was really thoughtful of her to make them for me. I'm sorry if I put her out of her way. But I really appreciate it. It was so nice to make it back in and be able to heat something up quick to eat in the middle of the night, instead of having to go out and find a convenience store."

Leaning back on her hands, Sakura gave him an odd look. "The flowers were a nice touch, by the way, but I feel bad about your family spending money on me. This was way too much, but it was really sweet. Let me know when your mom's going to be free, I'd love to stop by and invite her out for tea, to say thank you."

Blinking slowly, Sasuke felt his hands go numb as things fell into place.

An awkward grimace twisted his features for a split second before he recomposed himself.

"Sasuke?"

"Hn?" There was something hesitant in his expression, a  _please-don't-push-right-now_  that he conveyed clearly enough for her to actually read, for once.

She looked at him a moment before smiling to herself, letting him off the hook. "Nothing."

He huffed under his breath as Sakura began chattering on about something else as he ate the bento. He was 99.9 percent sure it had not been his mother, but he would double-check, to be sure.

* * *

Several days later.

"It wasn't your mom?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"Then, who could have…?"

Clearing his throat, awkwardly, Sasuke glanced away. "Just after you left, I saw Kakashi heading towards your place. He had a bag of drinks with him."

Sakura looked at him, unblinking.

"Did you find any drinks in your fridge when you came back?" he asked, meaningfully.

Sakura tore her gaze away quickly, biting her bottom lip, deep in thought.

Sasuke sighed under his breath.

* * *

Kakashi's eyelids lowered. Rose. Lowered again, slowly.

At the threshold of his apartment peering in, hand still clutching his doorknob, he sniffed.

He closed the door. Waited a moment.

Then opened it again. Sniffed, again.

Glanced down, his brows drawing together. His floor was clean. Very clean.  _Everything_  was very clean.

His traps were still in place, but… closing his eyes to half-slits, he reached out with his chakra, faintly picking up the tendrils of another, familiar chakra signature. One that immediately put him at ease, usually, but recently had led to some internal confusion as his heart rate had taken to spiking when he sensed it near.

Like it was doing now.

In his now immaculately clean apartment.

He took a step inside, and blinked when he came to see all of his nin-ken, freshly washed and groomed, lined up in a row to greet him.

"She installed a first aid station at the kitchen table, and another at the couch," said Pakkun in his usual tepid, grumbly voice.

Cautious, Kakashi approached the table and spotted the first aid kit screwed into the leg of his table… and let out a low chuckle.

"Did she leave a note?" asked Kakashi, wandering over to the kitchen counter to set down his meagre groceries. He was a bit short this week. That was okay, he'd mooch off everyone else.

"No."

Pakkun shared a glance with his compatriots, and, following a brief canine whimpering consult, he took a step towards Kakashi.

"Would you like us to deliver a message to her?"

"No."

The pups grumbled and whined at this, and Kakashi's brow sagged. Traitors.

His lips quirking in a half-grin, he swallowed his sigh and shook his head to himself.

* * *

Inside their family home, on a small sofa in their living room, Sasuke watched his brother yawn, closing his eyes a moment. They remained closed.

Shocked, Sasuke stared. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen his brother so... vulnerable.

"What do you need?" asked Itachi, his voice level and soft. His eyes were still closed, but Sasuke knew better than to try to sneak away.

"Hungry?"

Itachi wasn't distracted. "What is it you mean to ask, Sasuke?"

Of course Itachi could tell when he was prevaricating. Sasuke swallowed his sigh, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall in their living room.

Well, if Itachi was going to give him an opening… "What's happening?"

Itachi's lined face was as impassive as ever; for a second, Sasuke was sure his brother was going to ignore him. It surprised him when he spoke up.

"Clan business is… conflicting," Itachi admitted quietly. "They can't decide which direction to go, and so are spreading themselves thin with divergent motives and actions."

Sasuke took a seat across from his brother. Rarely did his brother confide in him what bothered him; he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to talk. Itachi had included him in his life in some way, of course he was going to take advantage of it.

"What are they arguing about?"  _This time_ , he added mentally.

"Hn… Their priorities, and thus, the clan's priorities."

Sasuke watched his brother's face at his carefully worded answer. "Does this affect us directly? You and me?"

Itachi nodded.

Sasuke mulled this over briefly. "About the lack of heirs, following after us?"

Itachi's brow twisted before settling again. "In a manner of speaking."

"What now?"

He saw Itachi's chest rise and fall, though he couldn't hear his sigh.

"They are concerned about the Sharingan, and are debating the benefits and consequences of mixing another bloodline into the Uchiha bloodline. In part because neither of us has accepted any of the potential brides they have so graciously proposed."

A small chill shivered down Sasuke's spine. Ugh. After a talk or two with Sakura, he had firmly clung to the belief that his wife, should he ever marry, would hail from outside the Clan, thank you very much. The—cringe—illustrated lecture she'd given him regarding the pitfalls of inter-clan breeding had been all the birth control he'd ever needed. Perhaps he could ask her to give the lecture to the elders…

"Sakura has some experience with,"  _well-documented congenital birth defects and inbreeding_ , "the effects of shallow gene pools and the benefits of greater genetic diversity, specifically how they strengthen a pool's variety and resilience. I could—"

Sasuke's voice trailed off as Itachi lifted his hand.

"It's okay for now, Sasuke. I have advised them I will be looking outside the Clan, for the time being, to see if I can find a kunoichi of good standing who would consider assimilating into the Clan."

Sasuke couldn't stifle his snort. "Bet they took that well."

For once, Itachi's expression shifted, his lips curving into a smile. "It was… memorable."

"And they're accepting this?"

"There are some extenuating circumstances that are providing me and my arguments a bit more weight in their consideration."

Really? Sasuke leaned forward in spite of himself. "Like?"

Itachi's eyes opened, and held his brother's gaze. "What I am about to say cannot leave this room…"

* * *

Several weeks later.

The trio stared at Kakashi as he strolled into Ichiraku wearing a formal suit. Including expensive shoes.

Sasuke arched a brow. Naruto spit his ramen across the room. Paralyzed, Sakura sat rooted to her chair, her pulse fluttering in her throat.

With a girlish titter, Ayame blushed and skipped over, though Kakashi waved her off.

"The usual," he said, joining his former students at the counter. Though she knew it by heart, she passed him the menu anyway and gave him a playful moue; Ayame nodded and turned to relay his order to her father in the kitchen.

Naruto's blue eyes were huge as he gaped. "What the—who are—Kakashi-sensei, why are—!"

Kakashi sighed as he took his seat accepting a cup of tea from Ayame, whose cheeks hinted at a blush before she turned to help another customer.

Swallowing his ramen, Sasuke watched the man as he feigned innocence.

"Lost a bet with Gai?" guessed the Uchiha, a small smirk hinting around the corner of his lips.

Kakashi shrugged, his eyelids lowering in acceptance of his fate.

Naruto's expression turned incredulous as he gestured at Kakashi's attire. "What kind of bet did you—Sakura-chan?" He swung around in his seat at his soul-sister's wobbly attempt to stand.

"Be right back," said Sakura weakly, holding her napkin to her face.

Naruto's brows dipped together as he sat; she'd waved off his concern.

Sasuke, meanwhile, held their former teacher's profile firmly in view out of the corner of his dark eyes. He saw Kakashi's shoulders tense, his adam's apple bob, his eyes remain unfocused as he glanced at Sakura's back—barely a flicker—before he glanced down at the counter he rested his elbows upon. Too quick. Too casual. Too uninterested where normally he would have teased, or at least, asked her about her sudden exit.

Sasuke glanced at Sakura's empty seat, turning the situation over in his head.

When Kakashi's steaming bowl of ramen arrived, Sakura still hadn't returned. Kakashi's shoulders slumped once more, and Sasuke rose from his seat, dropping some money on the counter.

"I'll be right back," he said when Naruto looked up at him. As they had sometimes taken to, in recent years, their communication was silent, conveyed entirely through their eyes. Naruto nodded, and Sasuke left, searching for Sakura.

He found her not too far away, at the Yamanaka Flower Shop; she was in the rear courtyard, splashing a bit of water on her face. Patiently he folds his arms and leans against the side of the brick building. She glanced at him, nods, and turns off the water. He offers her a folded handkerchief from his sleeve, and she takes it with steady hands.

With a dark, silky eyebrow arched in her direction, Sasuke waits.

She gives a heavy exhale, forces a smile.

"Hn?"

"Just feeling a bit off. I'm fine now."

A smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth.

"Think you can handle your ramen?"

"Yes, why?" She asks, eyeing him curiously.

He shook his head, amusement in his dark eyes. He fought the urge to shrug.

"What?" she asks, her brow knitting. She offered him back the handkerchief.

"Keep it," he said. Together they turned back towards the restaurant, leaping up over the flower shop's roof.

Sasuke wasn't sure how long it had been going on, or what 'it' was, exactly, but… perhaps he could keep Naruto distracted for a while, and see what happened?

Glancing at Sakura, Sasuke noted the way her feet slowed as they approached Ichiraku's, the way her gaze zeroed in on a particular man's back, the way the suit fit around his shoulders, and the way his feet, likely pinched by the fancy leather shoes, rested on the lower rung of the stool he sat upon.

With a fond, silent breath, he lifted her limp hand back up to her face where her nose had begun to trickle blood once more; his handkerchief still held in her loose fingers stemmed the flow.

"You know Gai's out of the village on a mission right now, hn?"

The wide-eyed look she threw at him would have made him laugh, if he were anyone else.

* * *

_To be continued._

* * *

**AN: This... has been bobbing around my (very distracted) head for some years. Please forgive me for abusing plot clichés! And YES, this one is based within the Naruto-verse, though it is obviously non-massacre. I have no update schedule for it, as it isn't completely written. Please let me know if you find any typos or errors. I am, admittedly, not scrubbing it as stringently as usual.**

**Also, I admit, I'm not going into much introspection with this one (at this point). (It is not a strength.) I hope it makes you smile, though!**

**Much love to you, lovely readers! (Especially Nikolita, to whom this is dedicated!)**

**Cheers!**


	2. Who Goes There?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when others aren't looking...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Many thanks to AijoInu for her help shaping up this chapter when I first drafted it!! <3
> 
> FYI, I am looking for an ongoing beta for this fic. A good chunk of the fic is already written, but I really need help cleaning it up with targeted feedback on how to fix a few problems. If you're interested, please send me a message on tumblr (kendochick). Thank you!

**On a Mission**   
  
With a swift set of hand symbols, Sakura focused her chakra and completed her henge transformation, darkening her hair and eyes and adjusting her build slightly, from lithely muscled kunoichi to willowy damsel.

 

With a small tug on her dress, she nodded to herself in the mirror, double-checking that none of her senbon holsters were visible through her long, flowing skirts.

 

“All clear,” she heard Naruto through her headpiece, carefully camouflaged in her hair.

 

“I’m in,” she said, a few minutes later as she smiled at the milling crowds in the ballroom. Sasuke laced his arm beneath hers, her palm resting atop his as they circled the perimeter. “Candidates located; please advise when safe to proceed…”

 

From his spot high above on the darkened mezzanine, Kakashi remained silent. He’d already pinpointed their targets, and set a few of his ninken to trailing their scents. He couldn’t help the way his visible eye followed his other focus; her disguised hair and shape could never hide her identity from him. A quick side-glance ensured his privacy and he casually used a head-scratching movement to lift the corner of his eye-patch, revealing his spinning Sharingan. 

 

No one would know, he reasoned, and with a faint smile he recorded her as she truly looked. As he much preferred, in any case. 

 

Of course, Sasuke took that moment to glance up at Kakashi’s hiding spot and smirked at him.

 

Kakashi’s shoulders tensed.

 

That kid is deliberately going to cockblock me just because he can, thought Kakashi.  

 

Surprised at how bitter he felt about that, Kakashi mentally shook himself. No, Sasuke wouldn’t. Because there was nothing to block. Because Sakura was a lovely young woman and he was not interested in her in a relationship sense, and he wouldn’t approach her, so there was nothing to worry about. Wearing the suit to get her attention was meant to tease her a bit, after Ino’s comments. Not get her attention. Not change her attitude towards him. Not impress her by any means.

 

Not even a tiny bit, he thought, half an eye monitoring her progress around the room and ignoring how his shoulders relaxed as she glided on Sasuke’s arms as they danced.

 

He mentally heaved a sigh. He should have agreed to taking Sasuke’s role when Naruto first suggested it.

 

Maybe next time…

 

Oh, there was their target, and the male was—Kakashi’s visible eye narrowed—reaching for Sakura’s—oh, good job, Sasuke. Far better for you to grab his arm and shake him off than for Sakura to punch him across the room. 

 

Or for him to accidentally fall into a fatal genjutsu. Since fatal genjutsu accidents happen.

 

—And that would probably delay their pay.

 

Kakashi rocked back on his heels and let out a low breath as he surveyed the ballroom again. Something flickered in the corner of his eye and his hands clenched into fists when their target tried again to reach for Sakura’s hip, and so help him he would teach that punk some manners the second they made eye-contact later—

 

Oh, nicely done, Sasuke. Technically that’s not permanent, so it won’t delay payment. Nothing fatal, though.

 

“Uh, Kakashi?” Naruto’s voice queried over their headset.

 

“Ah?”

 

“You may want to cut back on the killing intent… the guests are getting uneasy,” murmured Naruto.

 

Kakashi peeked around the ballroom and noticed the murmuring and slower dancing, the guests looking around at each other instead of conversing. Oops.

 

“That was a test. Good job paying attention, Naruto,” lied Kakashi, rocking back on his heels again.

 

“Everything okay up there?” asked Sakura, covering her words by curling around Sasuke and murmuring into his shoulder.

 

“Killing intent, killing intent!”

 

“Fine, just fine,” said Kakashi agreeably, tempering himself again.

 

A few minutes later Kakashi caught sight of the ambush that the enemy had laid for their targets, and Sakura and Sasuke moved in. Between the pair of them, and minor back-up from Naruto, the attempted assassination was thwarted before it caught the rest of the guests’ attention.

 

“Directions from here, sensei?” asked Sakura.

 

“I think Kakashi should come on down to stretch his legs,” said Sasuke.

 

“We finally get to stay and party for once? Score!” crowed Naruto.

 

Meeting up with his team in the vestibule area, Kakashi avoided Sasuke’s knowing smirk. 

 

“There’s no need to remain,” Kakashi said, dusting off his black shirt. It had helped him blend in among the rafters in the high ceiling.

 

“Oh, really? The music isn’t half-bad this time,” said Sakura, looking back towards the ballroom. “But if you’re tired we can definitely head back.”

 

“Aw, come on!” whined Naruto. “Stop being an old stick in the mud, Sensei. You aren’t that decrepit.”

 

Kakashi’s cheek flinched at Naruto’s slights, and out of the corner of his eye he noticed Sakura holding her breath. She still held the henge, but he easily pictured her in her natural appearance. His shoulders slumped.

 

“We can stay for a short time to ensure there are no further threats. Remain vigilant,” Kakashi said, but Naruto was already pumping his fist and returning to the music.

 

“I’ll check the perimeter,” said Sasuke, turning away. Then he paused and took off his suit jacket before tossing it to Kakashi, and walked away.

 

Which left Sakura and Kakashi standing together.

 

Sakura’s cheeks stretched as she smiled at Kakashi.

 

“You’ll blend in better with that on,” she said, gesturing to Sasuke’s jacket.

 

“... Ah,” Kakashi said after settling his racing heart. He slid his arms through the sleeves and found it fit him fairly well.

 

Then Sakura moved closer to Kakashi, her eyes focused on the breadth of his shoulders as she reached out and ran her hands down his front. 

 

Kakashi’s throat tightened.

 

Sakura shook her head. 

 

“Just sweeping some of the lint off,” she said, fixing the lapels. She tilted her head as she watched his Adam's apple bob. “Too bad we don’t have a tie for you,” she said, running her fingers down his buttons.

 

She looked up at him and met his gaze with a teasing smile.

 

“May I have this dance?”

 

Frozen in his place, Kakashi reminded himself he needed oxygen to live, and took a deep breath.

 

“A-ah,” he agreed as Sakura’s hands ran down his arms to take his hands.

 

“Good,” she said, squeezing his fingers before pulling him behind her.

 

“You look very nice in a suit,” she said over her shoulder as they entered the ballroom.

 

“You do, too,” said Kakashi. “Look nice… in your clothes…” 

 

Brows furrowing, Sakura tilted her head at Kakashi again before lifting her arms up to rest on his shoulders. She laughed under her breath.

 

“You looked nice in a suit the last time, too,” she admitted quietly, leaning a bit closer.

 

Kakashi swallowed.

 

“I didn’t think you got a good look,” he replied. He refused to notice how it felt so natural to hold her like this, his arms settling around her hips before he pulled her in closer. It felt so comfortable to move their bodies together.  His shoulders and back relaxed as he curled her in closer, warm and protected. The scent of her perfumed hair tickled his nose in a nice way, and relaxed him further.

 

To Kakashi’s surprise Sakura glanced up at him before resting her head on his shoulder, her cheeks pink. She was the perfect height to cuddle up to him.

 

“I got a very good look,” she mumbled, for his ears alone. “It was a very nice look for you. I don’t mind seeing you in a suit at all, Kakashi.” She paused and bit her lip. “Oh, I heard Gai wasn’t around when you mentioned that bet. Was there a reason you happened to wear your suit that night?”

 

Kakashi swallowed.

  
“A special occasion,” he said, leaning his head down to keep their conversation private. Confidential. Intimate.

 

“What was so special about that occasion?” Sakura asked, lifting her chin closer to his.

 

Kakashi leaned down closer, felt the warmth of her breath wash over his lips as she exhaled, saw her close her eyes and angle her head up as everything else in the room faded away around them until it was only he and Sakura, arms wrapped around each other, eyes closed as his cloth-covered lips brushed gently against hers like a butterfly wing and—

 

“Hey, did you guys see the giant shrimp ring on the buffet table?” burst out Naruto on their earpieces.

 

Startled, Kakashi and Sakura jumped apart. Kakashi’s mask concealed most of his blush, however, Sakura had no such cover and her cheeks and neck flushed.

 

Among the throngs of guests, Kakashi found it too charming and fought the urge to cup her warm cheeks and—

 

He cleared his throat.

 

“Drinks?” he said, turning and offering his elbow to Sakura.

 

“Mmm,” she murmured, looking away from him.

 

Straightening his jacket, Kakashi told himself she didn’t look sad or dejected. And wondered how slowly a man could bleed out through his testicles from torture. A man inhabited by a bijuu. For example. Hypothetically speaking. 

 

If Sasuke had cockblocked him by proxy, he would get them both, Kakashi thought to himself darkly.

 

* * *

 

 

**(On a different mission,  ANBU, several weeks later)**

 

“All injuries healed safely enough for travel,” said Sakura to her ANBU captain. “Though I recommend we move at a moderate pace until we can safely continue healing those with internal injuries.”

 

He nodded at her as they regrouped.

 

“Status?”

 

Another ANBU answered.

 

“All targets eliminated. All traces of our presence erased. All evidence successfully planted and authorities notified,” said the man.

 

“Any questions?” asked the ANBU captain.

 

The group remained silent.

 

“Then we move. Medic, remain in the middle of the formation. The rest, remain tight and alert. I will take point,” said the captain.

 

They set off at a moderate pace—for ANBU—and Sakura felt everyone move into place around her. She understood why they did so, though it irritated her somewhat. 

 

But Itachi was one of the best ANBU captains Konoha had ever seen, and she knew better than to question his mission-related decisions. At least he’d allowed her to participate more in the enactment of their missions these past months, rather than sitting on the sidelines. 

 

Head up and keeping pace with her temporary ANBU team, Sakura focused on her surroundings and teammates. With everyone suppressing their chakra, it was more difficult for her to tell who was weak versus who had excellent chakra control, but she was learning them each as individuals and getting better at it. 

 

Running among her team, Sakura smiled to herself behind her mask.

 

And there hadn’t been a serious injury or fatality return to the hospital in Konoha from Itachi’s team since she’d become a temporary member. Their missions were completed faster, too.

 

She was proud of her contributions. Full-time ANBU may be a bit much for her, in combination with her hospital duties and Team Seven, but she enjoyed the challenges ANBU presented.

 

Meanwhile, positioned just ahead of Sakura, Uchiha Itachi felt the positive chi emanate from the team medic and considered it carefully.

 

* * *

 

 

**(Back in Konoha, several days later)**

 

“A picnic?” 

 

Kakashi looked down at Sakura from where he leaned against the door of his apartment.

 

She nodded and shrugged her shoulder.

  
“I finally have a day off. You have a day off. We both have a day off. We both eat.”

 

She pressed her lips together to keep from babbling.

 

“Unless you’re busy. Sorry, are you busy?”

 

Kakashi blinked and looked at the half-dozen mission reports labeled URGENT from the Hokage’s office on his table, the pile of dishes in his sink, the neon post-it note stickies from Gai all over his apartment begging for an afternoon to train together, the flickering light in his kitchen he kept meaning to fix and the fridge he’d finally stocked with food for the first time in ages. He also couldn’t ignore the small lift in his spirits upon finding Sakura on his doorstep. Between her hospital shifts and ANBU work, he’d barely seen her in recent weeks. He wasn’t succumbing to her charms by any means, or the tug that he felt when they worked together. It was good to spend time with colleagues. Good for team building, that kind of thing, he lied to himself, as if Gai’s sticky notes weren’t wallpapering his apartment.

 

“No, nothing planned,” Kakashi said.

 

The relief in Sakura’s green eyes lit up her entire face.

 

Kakashi couldn’t look away from her genuine happiness.

 

“I have the food packed, are you ready to go?”

 

He glanced down at his lower half, still wearing his boxer-briefs. Her eyes followed his and Sakura blushed, covering her face.

 

“Geez, you could have put on some pants before answering the door!”

 

“Give me two minutes,” Kakashi chuckled, enjoying the flush across Sakura’s cheeks and ears.

 

All his usual trousers were in the laundry he’d meant to do that morning.

 

After a brief moment of indecision, he grabbed a pair of fitted civilian jeans he’d worn on a mission, several months ago, from one of his storage scrolls.

 

He re-appeared before Sakura a heartbeat later, giving her his usual eye-crease smile.

 

“Ready.”

 

He turned briefly to lean down to lock his door, completely missing the way Sakura’s eyes roved over his backside, freshly outlined in denim. 

 

He straightened and met her guilty gaze, then heard her swallow.

 

“Where to?” he asked.

 

“Wherever you lead, I’ll follow,” she said with a dazed grin.

 

“Ah… How about that park by the fountain?” he suggested, walking a few steps ahead.

 

Quickly wiping her nose with her hankie, Sakura let out a low breath and hurried to catch up, thanking kami for civilian jeans.

 

When they reached the park, they continued walking the paths until they came to a small clearing within a dense copse of trees. The playground for the children was on the far side, leaving them in quiet privacy for a shared luncheon.

 

“This is perfect,” said Sakura, looking around. She pulled a storage scroll out of her skirt and tossed a blanket to Kakashi. “Here, make yourself useful,” she teased.

 

Catching the scroll easily, Kakashi chuckled.

 

“I’m useful in all kinds of ways,” he replied, bending down to spread out the blanket.

 

Sakura lifted the handkerchief to her nose again, nodding at Kakashi.

 

“I hope you’re hungry,” she said, swallowing her naughty thoughts.

 

To her surprise, he tensed a moment before chuckling awkwardly.

 

“I hope you brought a lot,” he said.

 

“I brought everything we could possibly need or want! Even dessert.”

 

And, in typical Sakura fashion, she had. She had prepared for everything. She had put in obviously hours of work, including his favourite foods like saury, and was that a—

 

“I wasn’t sure if your ninken would be joining us, but I brought some sausages and ground beef for them,” she said, pulling out another scroll and holding it out to him. “Open it up! Is this okay for them to eat?”

 

All Kakashi could do was nod. She’d even thought about his pups. He made his decision, then and there. Under the guise of summoning his dogs, he took a deep breath and prayed he wasn’t going to mess everything up. The poof of his ninken arriving and swarming Sakura and their picnic distracted Sakura, and gave Kakashi a chance to plan his strategy. 

 

As the dogs tucked in, tails wagging, Sakura set out the food, missing how Kakashi focused on how her bangs swayed in the light breeze, or the efficient grace of her movements. He accepted the containers from her, his fingers brushing against hers at first by accident, and then more deliberately.

 

“Let’s start with dessert,” suggested Kakashi with a teasing tone.

 

“Hey, dessert comes later,” retorted Sakura.

 

“Promise?” asked Kakashi in a lower voice.

 

Sakura almost dropped the bento she held out to Kakashi. She looked up and found him watching her intently. Her insides fluttered. When he held her gaze for a full minute, she found herself leaning towards him. 

 

Kakashi’s hand reached up, cupping Sakura’s face and stroking the apple of her cheek as he closed the distance between them.

 

“Are the boys coming?” he whispered against her lips as their eyes closed.

 

“No.”

 

There was a whisper of cloth being removed before his bare lips touched Sakura’s.

 

“Good.”

 

And then he finished what he started during their dance at the ball.

 

(The picnic lasted all afternoon.)

 

* * *

 

 

“Do you think we should tell the boys?” asked Sakura one afternoon, several months later.

 

“Tell them what?” asked Kakashi.

 

He lay across her couch, his head in her lap as he read.

 

“About us.”

 

Kakashi mulled it over.

 

“Sasuke already has a clue,” he admitted.

 

Sakura nodded.

 

“Naruto would feel hurt at being left out,” she said.

 

“He would also throw a fit and run his mouth,” pointed out Kakashi.

 

Sakura could picture that too easily to debate it.

 

“Are you okay with the status quo?” asked Kakashi, setting his book down and looking up at her.

 

“Yes,” said Sakura before she swallowed and looked away. “Well, there is… I mean, when we’re both ready… I’m… I’m looking forward to… more. In time.”

 

Kakashi blinked.

 

“More?” he asked.

 

“Not right now,” said Sakura, blushing. “Just… I’m… I’m feeling closer to being ready. For more.”

 

Kakashi froze as his breathing shortened.

 

“There’s no rush,” he said evenly. “Don’t feel, ah, pressured.”

 

“No, no, I don’t. I just… I’m… I’m looking forward to it. With you.”

 

His grip on his book tightened before he relaxed again. Then he nodded and went back to reading.

 

“I am, too,” he said warmly. “But I’m not opposed to waiting, either.”

 

“Really?”

 

He nodded, smiling behind his mask.

 

“Ah.”

 

Above him, Sakura smiled and went back to finger-combing his hair. Her body had relaxed against him once more.

 

In his head, Kakashi congratulated himself on not ruining their discussion or bringing up the fact that the Hokage would nail his hide to the wall of her office if he took things too far too soon with her apprentice.

 

But it wasn’t as hard as he’d expected, the waiting. 

 

He was happy being with Sakura, spending time together, training together, watching movies together. They didn’t need to go that extra step to bring them closer. Being part of each others’ lives and relaxing in each others’ homes without needing to be doing anything was already proof of their emotional intimacy. And in their line of work, that meant so much more. 

 

Physical intimacy would come in time. But being able to fall asleep and have a nap in another’s home and presence—without the paranoia and hyperalertness that plagued shinobi of his status—was something he’d never been able to enjoy before. 

 

He was more than happy to enjoy uninterrupted sleep. And the cuddles and kisses didn’t hurt, either.

 

It was the best of both worlds.

 

* * *

 

**(At the Uchiha Main House, in the meantime)**

 

Fugaku and Itachi glared at each other over the kitchen table in their family home that night when Sasuke returned from a team dinner. The room was quiet and their meal untouched. 

 

He slowed his step and looked at his mother who was frowning and wringing her hands together.

 

“Did you have a good dinner with your team?” asked Mikoto as Sasuke paused in the doorway of the kitchen.

 

Still observing the strange tension, Sasuke nodded.

 

“Yes. Did I interrupt?”

 

“No,” said Itachi, voice low and calm. “We finished our discussion.”

 

“Itachi,” said Mikoto, lifting her hand.

 

“I’ll be in my room. Thank you for dinner, Mother,” said Itachi, standing.

 

Sasuke noted that Itachi’s plate was clean and empty as he placed it in the sink.

 

Meanwhile, Fugaku glared daggers at the food spread out on the table as if it were meant to poison him. Less than a moment later he pushed his chair back and walked away. The front door clacked shut as it closed behind him. 

 

Sasuke could feel his mother’s disappointment. This wasn’t the first meal that had been interrupted by family discord. It wasn’t even the first meal that week. But Sasuke had never seen his brother leave the table without touching his mother’s generous food before. His father’s quiet seething had reached an unhealthy level.

 

Though he’d already eaten, Sasuke reached for a fresh plate and took a seat at the table, helping himself to the now cold platters.

 

“Thank you for the food,” he said to his mother.

 

Mikoto’s lips pressed together as she forced a smile. Without a word, she took a seat at the table again. She picked at her food like a bird.

 

* * *

 

 

**(At Kakashi’s apartment, several months later)**

 

Sakura sighed into Kakashi’s mouth as he lifted her onto his reclined body in his bed before trailing his hands sleepily down her shoulders and back. She smiled as their hips, while still clothed in their pyjamas, rolled into each other and pressed together just right.

 

The blankets falling back, Sakura’s nimble fingers tickled Kakashi’s sides lightly before they skimmed the patch of his revealed skin between the hem of his loose cotton shirt and the drawstring of his sleeping pants. 

 

“Hmm?” he queried, kissing down her throat.

 

“Just thinking,” she said, smiling into his neck.

 

“Hmmm,” he murmured, cuddling her closer.

 

“It was nice. Watching your birthday party,” she clarified. “Gai was so excited about organizing it. It was nice of you to go this time.”

 

She angled herself to the left so she could curl into his side, her leg crossed over his and her fingers lingering over his middle.

  
Before they trailed lower, teasing beneath the hem of his shirt as it rose on his abdomen, and then sneaking a half-inch beneath the waist of his pyjama bottoms. 

 

The muscles of Kakashi’s sculpted abdomen twitched and flexed beneath her ticklish strokes.

 

He was waking quickly as awareness of the direction of Sakura’s curiosity dawned.

 

“Hmm,” he murmured, more invested in their conversation than sleep.

 

“I can’t get you anything obvious, and there isn’t much you need… but I think I found a present you would like,” said Sakura, shifting further down the bed.

 

Kakashi’s breathing deepened as she rolled onto her knees and in between his parting thighs before holding his gaze and sliding her fingers beneath the waistband of his pants. He was very awake as she removed his trousers and undergarments, her fingers leaving singeing trails down his inner thighs and calves. A warmth pooled low in his belly as he stirred, visibly aroused.

 

She gave him a sultry smile and bit her lip before leaning down, holding his gaze the entire time.

 

“Happy birthday, Kakashi,” she whispered.

 

Then she winked at him and engulfed him.

 

His hands dug in her hair even and he cursed and thanked the gods for her presence in his life.

 

* * *

 

 

**(ANBU, Several months later…)**

 

Itachi watched Sakura defy his order, too furious with her disobedience to speak as she rushed across the steep embankment that bordered the slave-traders' compound. Their ANBU team wasn’t there to save anyone. They were there to remove a very specific threat—the heads of the human trafficking organization—only. He hated it just as much as she did, but when she’d heard the shout of the injured child inside the high, armoured walls, she’d torn off like a wild hare, fists glowing, disregarding all directives to remain unseen and anonymous. If her fists connected with anything while she was in that state, it would mean leaving the equivalent of a Konohagakure calling card.

 

As captain, Itachi couldn’t jeopardize the mission or the village.

 

Already Itachi’s legs pumped him forward to cut Sakura off. Sakura’s temper had been a challenge to handle in the past but she had never been outright insubordinate. 

 

As Itachi drew closer to Sakura his breathing deepened as he gathered his calm. He would teach her she could not defy him while on a mission. For all their sakes.

 

* * *

 

 

**(Konoha, training grounds, immediately following the ANBU mission)**

 

Kakashi’s eyes widened as Sakura barrelled down on him, her kicks aiming devastatingly close to hitting him in vital (and some highly pleasurable under other circumstances) organs.

 

“Mission not go as planned?” he queried, flipping backward to gain some breathing room.

 

“Fight back!”

 

“So feisty today. Did you run into trouble?”

 

Sakura snarled at Kakashi before she crashed her fist to the ground, shattering the rock and sending a cloud of dirt and dust billowing up around them, annihilating their visibility. 

 

Taking cover in the second-nearest trees, Kakashi lifted his hitai-ate, Sharingan spinning, and scanned for Sakura—dropping to the next branch down and spinning around it before rebounding away again when her fist appeared suddenly in front of him like a vengeful enemy.

 

Her chakra signature burned brighter than a wild flare and her chest heaved with her energy and anger.

 

“I want to fight,” she growled, fists clenching and unclenching at her sides.

 

Hurt.

  
She sounded hurt, he realized. Embarrassed. 

 

Understanding washed through Kakashi. He hadn’t done anything wrong. Sakura wasn’t angry with him. It had nothing to do with him.

 

She was vulnerable and taking it out through aggression with someone she trusted. Someone who wouldn’t coddle her. 

 

Someone she… 

 

He didn’t speak, merely crouched forward before leaping at her, a kunai in each hand. He attacked with force and determination, intent on getting under her guard and forcing her onto the defensive.

 

Her hard eyes flashed with gratitude before she deflected him and spun around to attack from the side.

 

Sometimes they didn’t need to talk to communicate and support each other. Sometimes it was enough to have someone there.

 

They would speak when she was ready, if she needed it.

 

* * *

 

 

Freshly showered and cuddled on Kakashi’s couch with take-out shared between them, Sakura and Kakashi relaxed. Her head was tucked into his shoulder as he read and picked at his food. For her part, Sakura poked at the food in her bowl before setting it aside. Her arms fell to her lap.

 

“The mission… I made a big mistake.”

 

Kakashi glanced down at Sakura, cocking his head.

 

“I didn’t listen to my taichou. I jeopardized everything.”

 

He set his book down on the end table beside him, listening attentively.

 

“Two members of the team got hurt because of me. Taichou being one of them. He wouldn’t let me heal him. There were casualties. Heavy casualties.” She swallowed. “Because I lost control.”

 

She pressed her lips together, swallowing again.

 

Kakashi’s heart clenched in his chest. 

 

_ Ah, so that was why…  _

 

He was no stranger to guilt, either. This would rest heavy on Sakura’s heart for some time.

 

“I knew it was a trap. I knew they were manipulating us. I just…” Sakura sniffled, her voice breaking. “What I heard… I couldn’t… I couldn’t walk away…”

 

Kakashi reached around to pull Sakura into his lap as she wept quietly.

 

“Taichou was angry with me,” she whispered. 

 

His shoulders slumping, Kakashi almost smiled. 

 

Of course disappointing her taichou would affect Sakura. She strived to be the best, and disappointing her superior would hit her doubly hard after such a mistake.

 

“You would never jeopardize a mission, or a colleague, for no reason. That you did so means the reason was so important to you, so close to your heart, that you wanted to protect something more than your own life,” said Kakashi calmly, stroking Sakura’s hair. “Sakura, that is exactly what it means to have the Will of Fire.”

 

Sakura fisted Kakashi’s tear-dampened shirt in her small, callused hands.

 

“And if your taichou understands anything about you, he will not discipline you for that,” reassured Kakashi.

 

Sakura exhaled lowly, resting her head against Kakashi’s chest.

 

“Just be extra careful next time,” he said, smiling and patting the top of her head as if she were still a student. “You can’t let your emotions control you while you’re in ANBU.”

 

“I can’t shut off my moral compass.”

 

“Unless it’s in the bedroom…”

 

“Stop ruining the moment,” Sakura mumbled, wrapping her arms around Kakashi. With a deep breath she relaxed and gradually let go of her tension and anxieties.

 

“Mmmmmmm,” Kakashi hummed, grinning gently. His warrior would grow from this setback.

 

* * *

 

 

**(Uchiha Main House, meanwhile)**

 

“—continue as we’ve always done—”

 

“Which isn’t working,” countered Itachi, voice curt.

 

Sasuke paused outside the family sitting room, his slippered footsteps silent on the hardwood floor. The light spilled across the floor and he’d thought the rest of his family was asleep hours ago.

 

“This clan is Konoha’s strongest weapon and we must continue to hone it—” said Fugaku, tension taut line a strung wire between himself and Itachi.

 

“The Uchiha is withering and it won’t be long before it rots from the main branch,” said Itachi. “It is spreading and we need to examine the root causes before it’s too late.”

 

“What you suggest would imply betrayal of the highest order against the Uchiha. And what betrays the Uchiha betrays the village,” broke in Fugaku. “Sharing our clan secrets outside the compound is strictly forbidden.”

 

What was going on? Sasuke’s brows furrowed. 

 

He’d noticed more clansmen than usual retiring from duty recently, but the decision had been promoted as a way of ‘opening up opportunities’ for fresher, younger shinobi to take their place and gain experience.

 

Was there more to it?

 

He listened and a moment later he heard his brother’s disgusted reply.

 

“It seems a successful future for the Uchiha is also forbidden. If you do nothing now, our clan will die out within three generations at most.”

 

Rooted to the spot, Sasuke’s heart clenched in his chest as his breath caught. He barely noticed his brother exiting the room and passing by him, not even pausing as he made his way to the front door and outside. The door clacked shut behind him, echoing through the front hallway.

 

But Sasuke was frozen.

 

The recent, mounting tension in his home made sudden, horrible, perfect sense. 

 

The Uchiha clan was dying.

* * *

**TBC**

 


	3. Respect Goes Both Ways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team building and re-building.

#  Chapter 3

 

It had been going on for months, and now Kakashi and Sakura were starting to show signs of wear around their edges.

Whereas before Sakura was happy to spend a few extra minutes at the end of her hospital shift coaching a younger resident in their new technique to master it, now she pressed her lips together, a small frown marring her brows. She always had somewhere to be, it seemed to her friends.

Gai noticed that Kakashi meandered far less than he used to. Whereas before Kakashi spent hours on rooftops or in trees, reading around the village, now he disappeared without a trace. And he ignored Gai and his challenges for hours, undisturbed, before; yet this week he had cut Gai off on three separate occasions, citing ‘business’ that needed attention. Kakashi had no business. Kakashi had no life.

Someone had mentioned to Gai recently that he’d seen Kakashi in the forests outside Konoha, kneeling in the dirt as he dug something up, but hadn’t wanted to intrude. When Gai had gone to the area to investigate, in case Kakashi returned to it, there was no evidence Kakashi had been there.

Hmmmm….

Gai pondered the situation. 

Obviously Kakashi was in some sort of trouble, and too gallant and noble to ask for help. Gai knew exactly what to do. It was time to insinuate himself in every aspect of Kakashi’s life to ensure he was living it to the best of his abilities! Yes, he was about to become the best best friend his best friend could ever ask for! They would spend all their time together going forward! There would be no interruptions to their youthful folly and challenge! They would do everything together.

* * *

That night, in Kakashi’s apartment, with the blinds drawn and the lights turned low...

As he supported himself on his elbows and looked down at Sakura, Kakashi swallowed. The look in Sakura’s eyes was telling, the flush in her cheeks and trust in her gaze undoing him.

“You’re sure?” he asked, voice thick.

The blankets slipped down his back as he watched Sakura nod, her hair spread across his pillows.

She reached up and threaded her fingers through his, beside her head, and squeezed his hand.

“Yes.”

Kakashi inhaled shakily and moved his hips, feeling Sakura’s other hand grasping his arm as she adjusted to him, making small sounds.

“Easy, easy,” he repeated gently, alternately pressing his brow to hers and kissing her cheeks, her eyes, her lips. His mask lay discarded on his nightstand. He would not hide from her that night.

The highs built slowly as they took their time. The sounds muffled as Sakura bit down as she released, until Kakashi stroked her hair, begging her to let go and trust him.

The second time was smoother, with Sakura participating more, learning to trust not only Kakashi, but herself and her reactions.

The third time Sakura smirked, leaving Kakashi trembling, his hands dug into her hips, begging for her to take mercy on him.

As the sweat cooled and dried on their very sensitive skin, they fell asleep in each other’s arms, sated, content, and exhausted. Their heartbeats gradually slowed as their trembling tapered off to satisfaction.

Their lives were perfect.

* * *

Walking past the Uchiha district, as she always did on her way to one of their team training grounds, Sakura’s brow furrowed. The vendors could clearly be seen through the gates, but the usual clanfolk who gathered around the mini-market were absent. The market area was mostly deserted. Something Tsunade had mentioned recently passed through Sakura’s memory.

Shaking her head, she continued on to the training ground. Sasuke was already there.

“You’re here early,” she remarked.

“Ah,” agreed Sasuke, stretching out his legs.

Debating whether it was any of her business, Sakura considered what she’d seen as she’d walked over. 

“Is… everything okay at the moment?” she asked.

Sasuke glanced over at her.

“It’s just, your clan market has looked like a ghost town the last few times I’ve passed by,” she continued, watching him.

“There’ve been more meetings than usual, recently,” admitted Sasuke.

Sakura nodded once. “Keeping your elders busy?”

Sasuke glanced around, “And my brother,” he said quietly.

“Anything I can do to help?”

“Hn,” said Sasuke, indicating to the negative. “Clan stuff.”

That definitely matched up with what Sakura had been piecing together from her work at the Tower.

Lost in her thoughts, Sakura missed the way Sasuke looked her over.

“Did something change?” he asked out of the blue.

“Huh?” Sakura paused in her own stretches.

Sasuke’s brows furrowed. “Something’s different.”

Sakura swallowed, feeling heat rise in her cheeks. “Nothing’s different,” she said, waving him off. 

Sasuke froze, making Sakura swallow her breath as he stared at her.

“No, there’s definitely something different.” He paused, and Sakura felt a small squeeze of panic close off her airways. “New gloves?”

Blinking, Sakura choked on her exhale. “Oh, yeah, those. Uh, yeah, they’re new.” From Kakashi. “My old ones were pretty worn out.”

Sasuke nodded and went back to stretching.

Sakura returned to her own stretches, biting her lip. Should she tell Sasuke… No, she decided. He was her teammate. He didn’t need to know about her personal life in, ah, detail.

* * *

Something about this mission seemed… off, Sakura decided to herself.

In one of the many special ops rooms housed within ANBU headquarters, she sat attentively and received her briefing along with the members of the team she’d been assigned to. 

While the chunin- and jounin- ranked missions had a medic-nin standard-issued these days, due to the level and experience required to become ANBU, the elite still lacked the numbers to afford a medic to each of their outgoing missions. Her specific qualifications and skills had gradually led to her becoming a ‘floating’ medic, delegated to the most dangerous, volatile missions as needed. Usually the ones where they were expecting heavy casualties. As such, there were primarily three to six teams Sakura transitioned between, and she had formed very strong bonds within those units, and their members. 

Time had proven a good teacher, and with her now very experienced background, she’d gained an impressive reputation. The work provided her with plenty of challenge, not to mention respect. And while things could get hectic and crazy at times, she liked it. 

But she had to wonder about her participation in the current job. Although the current mission was a bit outside the norm for ANBU, she noted, she held her curiosity in check for the time being. 

Familiar with the captain for the mission, she decided to wait to see if and what he had to contribute, later.

* * *

“From the left!” Sakura cried. Another of her traps had gone off, warning her that the enemy was closing in.

“Stay the course,” commanded Itachi as their squad raced toward Konoha’s borders.

“But if they catch us by the ridge, with our wounded, we won’t be able to—”  
  
“Stay the course,” repeated Itachi calmly, the trees whipping them as they practically flew through the dark forest.

They continued for several more minutes, until Sakura felt the fine hair on the back of her neck rise in sudden warning—

“Look out—” Sakura began, but the trap was already sprung.

* * *

  
The more dangerous showdown occurred at the hospital, in Konoha, two days later.

“One week,” Sakura said firmly, ignoring the way her commanding officer’s dark eyes bore into hers in an obvious attempt at intimidation. The tension between them was palpable, and staff eyes turned their way.

“Earlier only if I, Shizune, or the Hokage okay it personally.”

“This is more than twice the standard recovery period usually allocated to—.”

“Your team is in critical condition, and that is even after I just spent fourteen hours straight healing them,” Sakura’s temper flared as she felt her control slipping. “And not only me, but some of the top medics in Konohagakure. They will remain under my personal care until I deem them fit for ANBU-caliber missions again, is that clear?”

“It is completely unacceptable,” Itachi replied tersely, his renowned composure slipping.

“Then take it up with the Hokage!”

“I outrank you, Haruno-san, and when it comes to my team, I know what’s best for them—.”

Flaunting rank in her face?

Sakura felt her blood boil, completely fed up with the argumentative man before her. Her small, delicate-seeming palms fisted immediately at her sides, and she burst out, 

“Not in here you don’t!”, nose-to-nose with her opponent.

His dark eyes flashed furiously. 

The fact that they were gathering a crowd in the small entranceway to the O.R. didn’t register with either of them, and none dared approach them. They were quickly separated by a very concerned Shizune who arrived on the scene at a brisk pace. Someone had obviously seen enough of the quarrel to raise the alarm.

“Sakura, Uchiha-san, this is neither the time nor the place,” Shizune admonished them, her expression tight and unimpressed. 

“Uchiha-san, I will see to you and handle your concerns. Sakura, go home, your shift ended hours ago.”

“But he wants to—”

“Go. Home.”

With a growl of utmost frustration, Sakura stormed out of the hallway, ripping her bloody surgical scrubs from her trembling body and whipping them into a nearby garbage can hard enough to make it rebound off the wall behind it.

While she did ‘get her way’ that night—morning, really—according to those who witnessed the incident, it didn’t mean she escaped the splatter radius of punishment for speaking back to an ANBU captain.   
  


* * *

  
A day later, Kakashi watched the scene unfold over the cover of the beloved annals of _Icha Icha_. Drama was slowly building below.

Sakura Haruno and Itachi Uchiha waited stiffly side-by-side at the doorway into the weapons’ vendor just a few side streets from the main concourse that led to the Hokage Tower.

They weren’t alone—it looked like Shisui and a few of his friends had accompanied Itachi, and Ino was chattering with TenTen and Hinata, on Sakura’s side.

But there was definitely some visible tension between Itachi and Sakura. Even from several rooftops away the Copy-Nin could sense it. It was almost as strong as some of the battle-aura he’d faced in the past between enemy nin—so between comrades, fellow Leaf-nin, it was cause for outright concern.

Of course he’d heard about their run-in at the ER—or was it the OR?—but both were professional enough not to bring that up, weren’t they? ANBU and anonymity and all that…

Even as he thought it, Kakashi saw Shisui take note of the nearby kunoichi, especially Sakura, and remark on something to Itachi with an elbow-nudge to his younger cousin’s ribs.

… and while Kakashi couldn’t hear Itachi’s response, he could certainly see Sakura’s, her cheeks flaring crimson as she whirled to glare at the assembled shinobi. Next, her tiny fists clenched tightly, and he saw emotion pass across her face.

Uh-oh, he recognized that look.

Quickly thrusting his trusty _ Icha Icha _ into his hip pouch, Kakashi sent a bunshin down to ‘casually’-‘accidentally’-‘maybe-just-a-little-on-purpose’ break up the impending confrontation.

As he leapt to the ground to follow behind his bunshin—just in case—a part of him was surprised at how much contention existed between Itachi and Sakura. They’d long worked together in ANBU as colleagues.

He wondered what had prompted their recent antagonism.

To his knowledge, Sakura hadn’t mentioned anything specific…

She was keeping secrets, then. 

But whose, and what?

Kakashi’s eyes narrowed.

… and most importantly, why from him?

* * *

Itachi knew Sakura was there, but he ignored her. He ignored her as long as he could, until he couldn’t, because of course Shisui had noticed Sakura and prodded him to acknowledge her. When Itachi refused, Shisui took matters into his own hands, promptly degrading the situation further.

“Hey Sakura!” called Shisui with an easy wave.

There. She stiffened. Itachi watched as Sakura’s shoulders straightened and her chin lifted, and she pasted on her ‘professional’ smile. He recognized her different smiles. Her falsity made him clench his fists.

“Hi Shisui, how are you doing?”

“Pretty great now that I have some pleasant company. Itachi’s been sullen all day,” said Shisui, thumbs in his pockets as he tilted his head at his cousin. 

“Poor thing. Did he not get his way?” asked Sakura, her voice just east of saccharine.

Shisui glanced between Sakura and Itachi, and Itachi wanted to throttle his cousin.

“Did you upset Sakura?” Shisui asked Itachi outright. “Again?”

“No,” Itachi replied, not wanting to have any discussion of their professional lives in public. Or ever. It was bad enough he—

“Yes,” said Sakura honestly. “But that’s work. And we aren’t talking about work today.”  
  
“Shinobi shouldn’t interrupt Girls Day,” said Ino casually, giving Shisui a wink. “I’m sure you gentlemen have better things to do.”

“They definitely do,” said a male voice from behind the group.

“Kakashi,” said Sakura, relief clear in her voice. 

“Senpai,” greeted Shisui, and Itachi nodded at Hatake’s arrival.

“Someone was looking for you at head office,” said Kakashi to Shisui, shoving his hands in his pockets. “It didn’t seem like a rush, but you may want to check in. I am happy to take over escorting—”

Tenten and Ino glared at Kakashi.

Sakura gave him an apologetic look and Kakashi shrugged.

“Mah, I was hoping to at least get dinner—”

“Was that Gai?” asked Sakura, leaning around the group to peer down the street.

“Time to go!” said Kakashi, disappearing in a poof of smoke.

Tenten was opening the door to the weapon vendor’s shop, and Ino and Sakura followed her in.   
  
“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” said Hinata, nodding to the Uchihas.

The door closed behind the kunoichi.

Shisui waved goodbye before nodding to his own friends, leaving with Itachi towards ANBU HQ.

“Was it bad enough at the hospital that Sakura might still hold a grudge?” asked Shisui as he and Itachi walked.

“She has a temper.”

“She also has a lot of sway in multiple departments and divisions,” said Shisui. “And the Hokage’s ear.”

“Are you suggesting I apologize?”  
  
“I suggest you talk it out, at the very least, before our next mission. If she doesn’t trust you, she won’t listen to you. With Hatake as her previous teacher, she isn’t exactly rule-bent.”

“She follows orders. Usually.”

“If it’s in uniform only, she only respects your uniform,” said Shisui, not looking at Itachi.

As they walked through Konoha’s streets towards ANBU HQ, Itachi considered Shisui’s meaning.

“You think it is a problem that she does not respect me?”

“If it gets around that you two don’t work well together, it will cause problems for more than just the two of you,” said Shisui. They arrived at their destination and inquired at the message desk, but no one had anything to pass on to either of them.

Shisui sighed good-naturedly.

“I guess Hatake was just trying to defuse things,” said Shisui, running a hand through his hair. Then he chuckled, “Being her sensei, he would know when her temper was running a little hot.”

“Hn,” said Itachi.

“I suppose I should get a head start on the paperwork for next week’s ops, while I’m here,” said Shisui, looking at Itachi. “Catch you later?”

“Ah.”

Shisui waved goodbye, and Itachi left HQ, mulling over several things Shisui had said.

It was true that he and Sakura butted heads professionally. Outside of their roles, they did not interact much. She was one of Sasuke’s closest friends, and had been a very positive, balancing influence in both his and Naruto’s lives. Itachi recognize the changes in his brother and their friend, over the years, and respected Sakura’s efforts and accomplishments. To have risen as far as she had, and acquired her skills, while coming from a non-clan family was almost unheard of. For all intents and purposes, she greatly respected her colleagues and their authority.

So why did she not respect his?

Why did she not trust him?

How could he figure out how to resolve the issue?

Also, why did she have to irritate him so? Why was she constantly under his skin? 

Around everyone else, he had witnessed Sakura compartmentalizing her personal feelings when there were bigger professional issues to deal with, unless she had a personal connection to the issue. It only seemed to be around him that she was insubordinate, and now she had become a distraction to him on missions because he could not anticipate when she would follow orders, or when she would throw caution to the wind and join in the fray of a battle instead of remaining on the sidelines as he’d commanded. So, why did she not respect his authority?

Sakura took up too much of his concentration, Itachi decided. He needed to sort out the matter before it became more tangled. 

As Shisui said, it did affect others, especially those on missions with them for ANBU.

They had to be able to trust each other, one hundred percent.

* * *

Kakashi lifted his head, eyeing the visitor who took the seat next to him at the ramen stand.

Itachi nodded at him, and Kakashi nodded back, a hint curious, but leaving the Uchiha to his own devices.

Itachi ordered, and soon set to eating his shoyu ramen.

Kakashi enjoyed his own meal, waiting for the Uchiha to make his move.

“You are a difficult man to track down sometimes,” said the Uchiha blandly.

“Ah.”

“But not today,” continued Itachi.

“Sometimes it’s a matter of knowing where to look,” said Kakashi.

Itachi nodded.

“Where should I look, to understand why she does not respect me?”

Kakashi chuckled. “You’re starting from the wrong position.”

Atop his stool at the ramen counter, Itachi looked over at Kakashi. “How so?”

“You think she doesn’t respect you. She does. That’s why she gives you such a hard time.”

Itachi looked down at his bowl.

“That doesn’t make sense. If she respected me, she would not be so insubordinate.”

Kakashi sighed. “You’re forgetting that she is used to being in charge, too. She will push harder if she feels you’re making a bad decision, or the wrong one. She isn’t afraid of you, or anyone. She knows how much authority she has.”

“In a team setting, though, where I am the lead—”

Kakashi looked up from his ramen to hold Itachi’s eyes. “If she fought you, in front of others, considering how much she respects you, then you disappointed her and she thought better of you.” Kakashi shrugged. “Also, Sakura has a giant, squishy heart. She cares about the people closest to her, like certain teams,” said Kakashi, carefully avoiding saying ANBU in public. “She cares too much, sometimes. It is her greatest strength. It is why she pours herself into her role. She is very attached to her teams. She will protect them in spite of her orders. She’ll protect them in spite of any possible repercussion to herself.” Kakashi looked at Itachi. “That includes you.”

“She’ll protect them from me.” Itachi’s tone was unimpressed.

Kakashi’s eyes formed a familiar eye-crease as he chuckled. “She’ll protect you from yourself, too.”

Confused, Itachi watched Kakashi rise.

“Thank you for the meal!” said Kakashi.

He disappeared with another poof of smoke.

With much to consider, Itachi swallowed the last of his meal, already getting his wallet out to pay for both of them.

* * *

“What have you been up to?” asked Sakura suspiciously as Kakashi lifted the blankets to invite her into bed that night.

“Nothing,” he said cheekily. He pulled her close and buried his face in her hair.

“You’re never up to nothing,” said Sakura, though she wrapped her arms around his.

“You don’t trust me?”

“Absolutely not.”

“I’m so hurt…. Wounded.” He paused. “Kiss it better?”

Sakura laughed.

“Worth a shot,” chuckled Kakashi. With that, he turned out the light. They cuddled until they fell asleep.

* * *

At the knock on his door that night, Sasuke looked up.   
  
“Hey,” he greeted his brother.

Itachi nodded.

“You can come in,” said Sasuke, putting aside the book he was working on.

“What is that?” asked Itachi.

Sasuke’s cheeks coloured faintly. “Team Book,” he said.

Itachi held out his hand, curious.

A bit hesitant, Sasuke offered the hardcover, oversized scrapbook to his brother. “It’s something Sakura started. She made the original one and gave a copy to Naruto, Kakashi and me.”

“And you maintain your own now?”

Sasuke nodded, rubbing at the back of his neck. “They’re kind of like a family. Not clan,” he said, looking up at Itachi’s questioning gaze. “But… yeah, family.”

Itachi opened the book and perused the pictures, newspaper clippings, and mementos. Names and dates were added in some areas, ticket stubs, award certificates. Sometimes a scrap of text had been added, some kind of in-joke Itachi guessed, as they made no sense to him.

Itachi saw a different side of his brother in these pictures, and it made him realize that perhaps he was only now seeing the side his brother’s teammates saw.

His eyes shot to one photograph of Sakura, and Itachi’s fingers froze as they cupped the precious book.

This is a perfect time to get some answers, part of him whispered, distracting him from his fascination.

“Do Sakura and Naruto see the team as family, too?” Itachi asked.

“Of course.”

“Ah.”

“Did she ever fight with Hatake?”

“Sakura and Kakashi? All the time,” said Sasuke. 

To Itachi’s surprise, Sasuke chuckled. “They fight like an old married couple, even now.”

“Does she not respect him?”

“She respects him. She’s just bullshit intolerant,” smirked Sasuke. 

Itachi continued looking through the pages, slowing down on a section where there was an obvious break in the timeline. It was here that their small team suddenly all looked older than the previous photos. It was there that several pages full of Sakura’s awards followed.

“That’s where Sakura went to study with Tsunade,” explained Sasuke.

Nodding once, Itachi thumbed through several more pages before handing the book back to Sasuke.

“Thank you. I understand your team better now.”

Sasuke looked at his brother oddly. “Did you need anything?”

“No,” said Itachi, rising to his feet. “Have a good night.”

“Night,” said Sasuke, confused. The stress from the clan meetings must be getting to his brother.

* * *

A few weeks later, out in the field in their ANBU uniforms, Itachi signaled to Sakura to remain after their team debrief.

“Captain,” said Sakura respectfully.

Itachi watched Sakura behind her mask, noting her alert body language, and also her tense shoulders and wide stance. She did not trust him.

“At ease,” said Itachi. “I wish to speak to you informally.”  
  
Sakura cocked her head before nodding. She did not relax.

“I wish to review the mission with you as an individual.”

“You already debriefed the team, sir.”

“Yes, but I’d like your analysis. We often have divergent points of view. I’d like to learn to incorporate yours into my planning, to increase the chance of success and reduce the risk of casualties.” Itachi noted the way Sakura’s fists clenched and unclenched. “And still incorporate your combat, rather than support, skills, where possible. You have more than a single skillset, and it is a waste that you are relegated to support for most missions. I am not opposed to you participating, but as the team medic, I am limited in the roles I can provide you. We need to review the role of medics on ANBU teams, and how we can make use of their full skill sets.”

“Is this strictly within your team, sir?”

“I hope to bring the matter up to the Hokage to amend certain restrictions placed on medics for ANBU teams.”

“I’m currently the only ANBU medic available, sir.”

“Exactly.”

Sakura looked at Itachi, shifting her weight to her other foot.

“You’re bored, and you’re too intelligent to be relegated to the sidelines. I can’t make you co-captain, but I would like more input from you for missions,” added Itachi. Reviewing Sasuke’s scrapbook, talking with Shisui and Kakashi, it had all brought to Itachi’s attention that Sakura must have been bored out of her mind on some of their missions. She, like him, was used to being in charge. When he saw something wrong, he also tended to do as he saw fit. With him being the ‘genius heir of the Uchiha’, no one batted an eye. Sakura… Sakura was used to fighting for what she wanted, what she saw was right.

Instead of fighting her for it, perhaps he could entice her to communicate what she wanted. Within reason.

“You deserve more,” said Itachi, catching himself before he spoke Sakura’s name. “Help me create a way to see you get the recognition and roles you deserve.”

Still watching Sakura he nodded at her. 

“You’ve earned it.”

At that, Itachi saw Sakura’s shoulders straighten and her chest rise with pride. His own chest warmed at the way Sakura practically glowed with his praise. She did respect him, just as Hatake had said.

“I would like that very much, sir,” said Sakura.

From behind his ANBU mask, Itachi nodded. Finally, Sakura relaxed.

* * *

**TBC**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Sorry for cutting this chapter off a little short. More is coming in the future. Thank you for reading!


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